For system-on-chip (SOC) applications, it is desirable to integrate many functional blocks into a single integrated circuit. The most commonly used blocks include a microprocessor or micro-controller, SRAM blocks, non-volatile memory blocks, and various special function logic blocks. However, traditional non-volatile memory processes, which typically use stacked gate or split-gate memory cells, are not compatible with a conventional logic process. The combination of a non-volatile memory process and a conventional logic process results in much more complicated and expensive "merged non-volatile memory and logic" process to implement system-on-chip integrated circuits. This is undesirable because the typical usage of the non-volatile memory block in an SOC application is comparatively small compared with the overall chip size.
There are several prior art approaches to minimize the complexity of such a merged non-volatile memory and logic process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,990 to Dormans et al. describes a process that requires at least two layers of polysilicon and two sets of transistors to implement both the normal logic transistors and the non-volatile memory transistors. This process is therefore more complex than a conventional logic process, which requires only a single layer of polysilicon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,150 to Sullivan et al. describes a single poly process to implement a non-volatile memory cell. In this patent, the control gate to floating gate coupling is implemented using an n-well inversion capacitor. The control gate is therefore implemented using the n-well. An injector region must be coupled to the inversion layer in the n-well. The use of an n-well as the control gate and the need for an injector region result in a relatively large cell size.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,706 to D'Arrigo et al. describes a single poly process to implement a non-volatile memory cell that does not use an n-well as a control gate. FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating an array of non-volatile memory cells C00-C12 as described by D'Arrigo et al. FIG. 1B is a cross sectional view of one of these non-volatile memory cells. As shown in FIG. 1A, each of the memory cells contains a transistor 24 having a source connected to a virtual-ground (VG) line and a drain connected to a bit line (BL). The transistor 24 further has a floating gate 40 which is coupled to a word line (WL) 86 through a coupling capacitor. The coupling capacitor includes n+ region 80, which is located under the floating gate 40 and which is continuous with the diffusion word line 86. The capacitance of the coupling capacitor is significantly larger than the gate capacitance of the transistor to allow effective gate control of the transistor from the WL voltage levels. The n+ region 80 is formed by an additional implant to ensure good coupling during operations. This additional implant is not available in a standard logic process. The memory cells 24 are located inside a triple-well structure. More specifically, the memory cells are formed in a p- tank 78, which in turn, is formed in an n- tank 76, which in turn, is formed in p- well 74. A p+ contact region 88 is located in p- tank 78, and an n+ contact region 90 is located in n- tank 76. The triple-well structure allows flexibility of biasing in operating the memory cell. More specifically, the triple-well structure allows a large negative voltage (typically -9 Volts) to be applied to the word line 86 (i.e., the control gate). Both the extra n+ implant and the triple-well are not available in a conventional logic process. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,764 to Chang describes a PMOS cell having both a select gate and a control gate, wherein additional implants are required underneath the control gate.
In addition, the above-described non-volatile memory cells use a relatively thick tunneling oxide (typically 9 nanometers or more). Such a thick tunneling oxide is not compatible with conventional logic processes, because conventional logic processes provide for logic transistors having a gate oxide thickness of about 5 nm for a 0.25 micron process and 3.5 nm for a 0.18 micron process.
Conventional non-volatile memory cells typically require special high voltage transistors to generate the necessary high voltages (typically 8 Volts to 15 Volts) required to perform program and erase operations of the non-volatile memory cells. These high voltage transistors are not available in a conventional logic process. These high voltage transistors are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,355 to Chang et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,126 to Chi et al. describes a single poly EPROM cell that utilizes band-to-band tunneling in silicon to generate channel hot-electrons to be injected into a floating gate from a control gate. A relatively thin tunnel oxide can be used in this memory cell because of the enhanced electron injection. However, this memory cell only supports programming (i.e., electron injection into the floating gate). No support is provided to remove electrons from the floating gate (i.e., an erase operation is not supported).
The use of a thin gate oxide as tunneling oxide presents a challenge for achieving acceptable data retention time for non-volatile memory cells. A thin gate oxide is defined herein as a gate oxide layer having a thickness in the range of 1.5 nm to 6.0 nm. Although programming voltages may be reduced by the use of a thin gate oxide, the thin gate oxide will exacerbate cell disturbances. That is, the thin gate oxide will significantly increase the probability of spurious charge injection or removal from the floating gate during normal program, erase and read operations. This is due to the high electric field present in or near the thin gate oxide. As conventional logic processes scale down in geometry, the gate oxide thickness scales down proportionally. For example, a 0.25 micron process uses a 5 nm gate oxide thickness, a 0.18 micron process uses a 3.5 nm gate oxide thickness, and a 0.15 micron process uses a 3 nm gate oxide thickness. As a result, data-retention becomes a serious problem when using the standard gate oxide as the tunnel oxide in a non-volatile memory cell. U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,020 to Hu et al. describes data refreshing techniques to improve data retention time using very thin tunnel oxides.
It would therefore be desirable to implement a single-poly non-volatile memory cell using a conventional logic process, without requiring process modification and/or additional process steps.
It would also be desirable to have a method of operating non-volatile memory cells in conjunction with volatile memory arrays in a manner that minimizes disturbances from write, erasing and read operations, thereby improving the data retention time for the non-volatile memory cells.